Method of making archery target butts and machinery therefor



C. A. SAUNDERS METHOD oF vMAKING ARCHERY TARGET BUTTS AND MACHINERYTHEREEOR Filed Aug. 5, 1941. 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.'.

INVENTOR. dazwzdezz4 l April 3, 1945. A c. A. sAuNDERs i 2,372,855

METHOD OF MAKING ARCHERY TARGET BUTTS AND MACHINERY THEREFOR l* FiledAug. 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 3, 1945. c. A. sAUNDERs v 2,372,856

METHOD OF MAKING ARCHERY TARGET BUTTS AND'MACHINERY THEREFOR Filed Aug.5, 1941 :s sheets-sheet 5- J 5 f Q YS) l INVENTOR M uw butt circular.

Patented Apr. 3, 1945 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE METHOD 0F MAKINGARCHERY TARGET y BUTTS AND MACHINERY THEBEFOR Charles A. Saunders,Chicago, Ill.

Application Ain-ust 5, 1941, Serial No, 405,565 6, claims. (ci. 19-149)This invention relates to improved methods `for the manufacture ofarchery target butts and vto apparatus for making such butts and othervarticles formed by ceiling straw, wood shavings, cotton linters, or thelike.

While the invention has a broad field .o usefulness, I havefound it ofparticular utility in the construction of archery target butts and thelike, .and I therefore find it convenient to describe the invention inconnection with the manufacture of ,such articles, it being understood,however, that such limited fields oi speciic application are employedpurely for purposes of illustration, and that the method and the-machinery of the present invention are adapted to be utilized in themanufacture of a Wide `variety of other articles.

Archery target butts hitherto have been made by hand without theassistance of speci-a1 inachinery. According to the method i the priorart, a handful of straw is twisted into a small spiral coil, from whichthe ends of the stalk-s protrude tangentially. 'The lcoil is stitched tohold it together, Thereafter the endsof another handful of str-aw areplaced against the ooil under the tangentially protruding portion,andboth said protruding previous portion and the newly added straw arewrapped about the periphery of the 'coil, the ends ofthe precedingportion covering the begioni-ng oi the newly added portion. The treeends of the previously added portion are pulled tautly against the coilwith one hand, and the body of said portion is hammered into place bymeans of a mallet wielded in the other hand. While still pulling on thefree ends of the previously added portion with one hand, the body ofsaid portion and the underlying ends of the newly added portion arefastened to the coil by means of a needle and twine manipulated with theother hand. Because of the resilient nature of the elted mat, it is`necessary to fas-ten each handful of straw in position immediatelyafter hammering it into place'. The above described series of operationsis repeated until a butt of the desired size has been made.

lNot only is hand manufacture slow, tedious, and expensive, but inaddition considerable difiiculty is encountered in 'making the rim oflthe Hand-made butts have the fol lowing principal defects: (1) They arenot suiiiciently dense, and accordingly wearout too rapidly under thepounding of the arrows. '(20 lThe center region, where most of thearrows strike, is less tightly wound than the peripheral region, whereas'it 'ought to be more tightly wound, `since 'ceiling operation to sewdown it is exposed to the greater wear. (3). The "butt has a taperedarrows Smirking the vthin portion thereof may pass completelytherethrough and be stripped of their' feathers :or otherwise injured.4) :The striking. suriace'zis. not ysuiiciently smooth and uniform. s

Target butts made accordingto the method of the' present invention .donot Ahave the above deficiencies. In my improved method, the` or otherraw material is coiled, compressed, shaped, and continuously' maintainedshape and under compression, by means of a :tauitmoving endless beltwhich substantially encircles the work while the article is being made.

The straw is coiled about a mandrel ltvhich however may consist Yofstraw twisted into the necessary shape) rotatedby movement ci theencircling'belt Suitable guides yare provided v:to control the width ofthe butt, and to insurethat the faces thereof are plane and relativelysmooth The work is maintained in the'desiredshape and under suitablecompression .by the guidesand the encircling belting throughout thecourse of manufacture, so that it is not necessary to interrupt thecoiling operation to tasten down the work. After the work ,has attainedthe desired site, the otherwise complete may ,be `served at one timewhile it is still in .the machine. IQI, if desired, a strip of fabricVmay be :fed into the machine and thereby wrapped around the peripheryol the butt.v After the annular Vcasing thus formed has `been joinedtogether iin'any suitable manner, the article may .beremoved from themachine and sewed at leisure, the annular casing meanwhile preventingexpansion of the compacted mass comprising the article. l

It is a principal object of the present '.inven tion to `provide amethod whereby archery target butts and similar `art-.icies may befabricated by machinery.

Another lobject is to provide machinery for fabricating coiled matswithout interrupting the the partly completed work. Y

Another object is to provide a method for con tin-uously coilingresilient materialinto a' spiral mat maintained under pressurethroughout the Another object is to provide apparatus for constructingan archery target butt which has a relatively hard, densely packedmidsection impermeable to arrows and relatively soft, smooth, uniformstriking surfaces adapted to prevent arrow bounce outs.

Another object is to provide apparatus for constructing a spirallycoiled mat which is more densely packed nearthe center than near theperiphery.

Another object is to provide machinery for constructing an unsewnarchery target butt maintained under tension for purposes of storage bymeans of a suitable wrapping.

Another object is to provide a machine into which straw or like materialmay be fed, which conveys said materials to a form and there com pressesit, crushes it, and winds it about a spool between retaining end membersto form a spiral mat.

Other objects are to provide methods and apparatus of maximumsimplicity, economy, ease of use, and safety.

The foregoing and such other objects, advantages and capabilities as mayappear herein or be pointed out as this description proceeds, or as areinherent in the present invention, are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on lineI-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a machine constructed according to thepresent'invention, the frame thereof being shown in broken lines toavoid confusion.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view in central vertical longitudinalsection and illustrates the mat-forming portion of the machine shown inFigures 1 and 2 at the beginning of the cycle of operation.

Figure 4 is somewhat similar to Figure 3, and illustrates a later stagein the manufacturing process.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 5-5 ofFigure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on a diameter of anarchery target butt con.

structed by the method of the present invention, and illustrates themanner in which the center of the butt may be stuffed.

Figure '1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the periphery of acompleted target but constructed according to a process of the presentinvention.

Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the face of a completed targetbutt fabricated in accordance with the present invention. I

Figure 9 is a fragmentary detail view in central vertical transversesection and illustrates a modification of the invention which dispenseswith the use of a mandrel between the guide plates.

Like reference characters are used to designate similar parts in thedrawings and in the description of the invention which follows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2illustrate one form of a machine constructed according to the presentinvention and suitable for use in practicing the novel processesdisclosed herein.

'Ihe machinery is arranged on a suitable framework 2 having legs 8, 8and a shelf or table portion 3. Movably arranged upon the framework 2near one end thereof is a belt tightener, exemplified by the slidingcarriage 4 mounted upon the rails 31, 31 and carrying the pulley 6.'Near the opposite end of the frame 2 the mandrel 1 is positioned. Theframework supports a superstructure or scaffold 9. Upon this scaffold issuitable means for driving a belt, exemplied by the electric motor I0.Attached to said motor I0 is the drive wheel I I. Passing over thepulley B, the mandrel 1, and the drive wheel Il is the endless belt I2.

To the belt tightener is attached a suitable tensioning device,exemplifled by the weight I3 which is attached to the carriage 4 bymeans of the cord I4, which passes over the pulley I5. Alternatively oneend of a spring may be attached ,to the carriage 4 and the other end maybe attached to some fixed portion of the framework 2 whereby motion 'ofthe carriage to the observers right is yieldably resisted. Or, ifdesired, the pulley 6 may be fixed, and the necessary tension may beobtained by making the belt I2 of elastic material and stretching ittautly between said pulley 6 and the mandrel 1.

If desired, an idler pulley I6 may be placed near the drive wheel Il soas to guide the belt I2 to avoid slipping between the belt I2 and thedrive wheel I I.

The ledge 3 is inclined somewhat to the right. To it is joined the mouthof the hopper or feeding guide I1. The discharge end of said hopperempties upon the belt I2 slightly in front of the mandrel 1. Saidmandrel is supported by the idler I8 which is carried by a movablecarriage I9 which moves along the ways 20, 20 forming an extension ofthe framework 2. Said carriage may be manually slidable or, if desired,it may be attached to a worm 2|, operated by the synchronous motor drive22. In the latter arrangement, the motor 22 progressively moves theidler carriage I9 and the pulley I8 thereon at a uniform rate to theright.

Mounted upon the scaffold 9 is the pivotal guide arm 23. The said guidearm 23 is slotted, and the brace 30 passes through said slot and limitsthe movement of said guide arm 23 to a vertical plane. Attached to thefree end of said guide arm 23 is the guide roller 25, which rests uponthe belt I2. Projecting from the scaffold 9 is the fXed guide arm 26,which likewise carries a guide roll 21 under which the belt I2 passes.

Fixed to the mandrel 1, on each side oi the belt I2, are the circularguide plates 28, 28. Said guide plates 28 are spaced by the mandrel 1,and said plates and said mandrel are mounted concentrically on thecenter stud 29 (see Figure 5).

Figure 9 illustrates a modification of the apparatus, in which the frame2 is provided with brackets 38. The upper surface of each of saidbrackets 38 follows the arc defined by the center of the butt as thework increases in size. The mandrel 1 and the center stud 29 aredispensed with, and the straw or the like is coiled about a plug 39formed of the same material. If desired, the end guides 40, 40 may beprovided with points 4I, 4I to be anchored in said plug 39. Protrudingoutwardly from the center of each guide plate 40 is a bearing 42, which,if desired, Imay be flanged as shown. One or more spacer clamps 43 maybe employed to prevent the guide plates 40,

40 from becoming separated too far while the s to compress the work atall times.

arszaesc materials other than straw, and for the purpose of fabricatingarticles other than archery target butts.

At the beginning of the cycle of operation, the machine is in thecondition illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the pulley carriage 4being in its eXtreme position to the left. The mandrel 'I .floats uponthe idler iB. The guide plates 28,v 28 are rotatably attached to themandrel. The subassembly consisting of the mandrel, center stud, andguide plates is held in place by the guide arm 25, the end. oi whichprojects between the two guide plates 2Q. The idler pulley 21 at the endof the guide arm 26 rests upon the belt I2 and causes said belt almostcompletely to surround the mandrel '1. The pivotal guide arm 23 issupported suitably, so that the roller 25 is maintained a few inchesabevethe belt I2.

A vsupply of straw is placed upon the table 3. The 'motor iii moves thebelt I2 in the Idirections indicated by the arrows. An operator manuallyfeeds the straw into the hopper or `feed funnel i 7. If desired, thestraw may be Atwisted into a rope before being fed into the hopper I1,or while being so fed.

rlhe straw passes through the hopper and is fed upon the belt l2 throughthe discharge end of said hopper, said discharge end being adjacent theguide pulley 21. The motion of the belt feeds the straw between themandrel 1 and 'the belt l2. When the machine begins to operate, themandrel 'l is rotated by frictional `engagement with the moving belt I2.As more straw is fed into the machine, it is wrapped spirally about themandrel l. At this stag-e, the mandrel and the work rotate, but theguide plates 28, 28 usually do not.

As the work becomes larger, frictional engagement of the coiled straywith the guide plates causes the latter to rotate with the work and themandrel. Also, the work will raise the belt I2 until it makes Contactwith the roller 25 and floats the pivotal guide arm 23 olf its support.Thereafter said roller 25 will rest upon the work and assist incompressing the same. lf desired, said guide arm 23 may be suitablyloaded, as shown at 4i, to increase the pressure upon the work. Theguide arm 23 maintains the guide plates 23, 28 in vertical position, andprevents said guide plates from wobbling.

The weight I3 keeps the belt I2 under tension at all times. As the workprogresses, 'the parts take the relative positions shown in Figure 4. Itis to be noted that the belt I2 almost completely surrounds the work 32throughout the course of operation, and that the tension of the beltserves This is necessary because a resilient material like straw wouldspring out into a relatively porous mass 4if the tension were removed.

The tension upon the belt exerts a force against the work in the form.At the beginning of the operation the total force is distributed overthe relatively small peripheral area of the work, for which reason thepressure (force per unit area.) is greatest when the size of the objectis smallest. As the ceiling operation proceeds .and the unfinished buttbecomes larger, the total force due to the belt tension is distributedover a larger peripheral area, and the pressure, therefore, is less.Thus my improved machine automatically varies the pressure upon theworkso Yas to construct an article which is densely packed near thecenter, and in which the density of f-elting progressively increasesfrom the periphery to the center.

As the butt increases in size, vthe quantity .of belt iin peripheralcontact therewith likewise .increases. This causes the carriage .4 to be.drawn to the right and the weight II3 to be lifted.

The work is supported by `the idler i8. As the coiling proceeds, themandrel 7. will be displaced upwardly and to the right. Since the centerof gravity of the work follows the mandrel 1, it is desirable to movethe Vidler i3 to the right also, as the workkprogresses. This may.bedone manually. vAlter-natively, the mandrel and the idler may :beconnected with suitable linkage (not shown) so as vto maintain saididler under said mandrel `at all times. The preferred arrangement,however, is to mount the idler carriage I9 upon a screw 2|, so that saidcarriage may be translated by rotation of said screw. Preferably, said.screw is revolved by a synchronous electric motor 22 at such a ratethat the idler IB moves to the right somewhat more rapidly than themandrel `I. This causes the work to be cradled between the guide roller21 and the idler `Ill, as shown in Figure 1 in dotted lines. Thisarrangement is effective in preventing rocking of the work, as might bethe case-if it were supported only by the idler. Further, thisarrangement increases the clearance between the bottom of the belt l2and the roller 27, making it possible to increase the rate at whichstraw is fed to the work as the latter increases in size.

.I prefer to use a crowned idler i8 having a peripheral width somewhatless than the space be-v tween the guide plates 28, 2-8. The weight ofthe work tends to crush the straw against Ithe idler, and thearrangement above mentioned results in the formation of an articlehaving a, midsection more densely packed rthan the surface layers. The

4,0 relatively loose surface layers are easily penetrated by arrows, sothat arrow rebounds are minimized; whereas the densely packed centrallayer prevents the arrows from passing therethrough. This effect can beheightened by feeding the straw to the center ci the belt, which isreadily effected by appropriate adjustment'of the discharge end of thehopper I l.

The pressure upon the work crushes the straw against the guide plates28, 2S, with the result.

that the striking surfaces of the butt are planar, smooth, and uniform.1Ifhis improves 'the apw pearance of the article, and causes the facesto remain usable for longer periods of time than has heretofore beenpossible.

The ceiling operation may be continued until the butt has been built upto any desired size. At the end of this operation, the pulley carriagewill be in the position shown in Figure l at 1l', the pivotal guide armwill be in the position shown at 23', the mandrel will be in theposition shown at 1', the idler support carriage will be in the positionshown at I 9', and the idler will be in the position shown at IVB, theguide plates will be in the position shown at 28', and the work willhave the size and position indicated at32. The motors IU and 22 are thenstopped. One or both of the guide plates 28, 28 may be removed, and thebutt may be sewed while it is in the machine, lin order to maintain thearticle in compressed condition. Alternatively, the guide plates 28maybe perforated in such manner as lto permit the butt to be sewedWithout removing said plates.

After the sewing operation hasbeen completed, the tension on the belt isrelieved, as fior example, by vdisconnecting the weight "I3 lfrom thepulley carriage 4. Then the guide plates 28, 28 are removed, andA themandrel and butt are removed from the machine. The center stud 29 isknocked out, the mandrel is filled with a portion of tightly twistedstraw, and thereafter the mandrel is knocked out of the butt, care beingtaken to drive the straw out of the mandrel into the space being vacatedby the mandrel itself. -As the mandrel is withdrawn from the butt 32,more straw is stuffed into the hollow core left by the mandrel, in orderto provide a solid butt having a tightly packed center.

Figure 9 illustrates an alternative arrangement whereby the butt may befabricated with a solid center from the beginning, A small quantityofstraw is twisted or compacted into a plug 39 which serves in place ofthe mandrel. This plug or small coil may be suitably fastened together,as by stitching, if desired. Said plug 39 is encircled by the belt l2,and the guide plates 40, 40 are pinned to it as shown, the points 4|, 4|being inserted in the ends of the plug along the axis thereof. Eachguide plate -40 is supported upon a bracket 38 by means of a bearing 42,Said bearings 42, 42 may be flanged as shown to engage the bracket sidesand prevent wobbling of the guides 40, 40. One or more spacer clamps 43may be employed to prevent the peripheral edges ofthe guides 4U, 40 fromseparating too far from each other. It will be understood that saidclamps 43 do not rotate with said guides 4U, 40. As the work growslarger, the bearings 42, 42 will `move along the brackets 38, 38,following substantially the same trajectory as the mandrel 'I does inthe previously discussed embodiment. In other respects, the operation isthe same under both arrangements, except, of course, that, in thearrangement shown in Figure 9, it is not necessary to remove any mandreland stuff the hollow core left thereby.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary central section along a diameter of thefinished butt, and shows the stitching 35, the stuffed core 34, and theflat peripheral edge 35 produced by the action of the belt I2, thepulley 21, the roller 25, and the idler I8. My improved target butt hasa relatively flat rim, which is much to be preferred over the roundedperipheral edge of the target butts of the prior art, because arrowswhich strike near the periphery of my improved butt will be caught,instead of passing through a thin edge region and thereby being strippedof their feathers.

Instead of stitching the butt while it is under compression in themachine, the following alternative procedure (which is the preferredprocedure) may be followed. When the butt has reached the desired size,a strip of burlap or other suitable material is fed into the hopper I1,whereupon the movement of the belt I2 causes said strip to be woundaround the periphery of the butt 32. Thereafter, the ends of the burlapare joined together in any suitable manner, as for example, by means ofbuckles. Or the fabric may be passed several times around the butt andthe overlapping layers of fabric may be sewed together. Thus the coiledbutt is prevented from uncoiling by the fabric belt in which it isretained. The butt and its surrounding fabric belt may now be removedfrom the machine. The article` may be sewed in the usual manner at anytime thereafter. It will then present the appearance shown in Figure 8,in which the fabric casing is designated at 45, and the stitching at 35.If desired, the casing 45 may be removed after the straw has been seweddown, but .I prefer to sew said casing 45 to the rest of the butt inorder to utilize it as a permanent reinforcement.

Thus it will be seen that I have invented a machine which coilsresilient material while maintaining the entire mass of the resilient material under tension through the course of the coiling operation.Obviously the use of my improved machine multiplies the rate ofproduction over hand methods, and in addition enables the manufacturerto control the density of packing and to graduate the density in variousparts of the same butt. The method of construction disclosedherein hasthe prime advantagel of simplicity, and furthermore makes it possible tofabricate an unstitched target butt at very low cost and to encase itconveniently and quickly in the machine with a suitable binding so thatit may be shipped in an unstitched condition to the archer, who cancomplete the butt by-stitching it by hand at his leisure. Theopportunity for economy thus extended to the toxophilist is obvious.

Comparison of target butts constructed in the apparatus of the presentinvention with ordinary hand-made target butts conclusively demonstratesthe superiority of the former. My method of construction assures thatthe article will have a round at surfaced peripheral rim, and that thefaces will be planar, parallel, and smooth. Since the straw in myimproved article is packed far more densely than is possible by handmethods, a target of tournament quality and having the standard diameterand weight will be substantially thinner than the articles of the priorart, and therefore is more convenient to handle, and takes up lessstorage space. Since the butt is all stitched at one time, the stitchingis more uniform than in prior art constructions. And as has already beenpointed out, my targets are particularly long wearing because thedensity is greatest where the wear is greatest.

While I have illustrated my invention by describing the details of oneform of operative machine, and have outlined the steps in my new processwith particularity, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatnumerous modifications and variations therefrom may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention. The specific method of feedingthe raw material into the machine, of supporting the work, and ofmaintaining tension upon the belt system are all capable of substantialmodification within the scope of my invention.

While the invention has been illustrated and described herein withspecial reference to a machine particularly adapted to manufacture buttsfor archery purposes, it is distinctly to be understood, nevertheless,that the present invention contemplates and embraces a general methodfor manufacturing butts, pads, mats, mattresses and other articlesfabricated by coiling and compressing strands, bers or reeds intocircular' disks, from which it will be apparent that the instantinvention has a wide field of industrial utility.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its utility, I claim:

1. Machinery for making archery target butts or the like, comprising amandrel, a plate on each end of said mandrel, a frame, al guide armpivoted upon said frame and adapted to minimize side thrust of saidmandrel, an endless belt passing around said mandrel, means for drivingsaid belt, a belt tightener to accommodate said belt to changes in thesize of the butt under fabrication on Vsaid mandrel, means connected tosaid belt tightener for maintaining tension upon said belt, an idlerarranged upon said frame to cause said belt substantially to encirclesaid butt, a second idler movably mounted upon said frame and adapted tosupport said butt, means for continuously maintaining said second idlerunder said butt, and a hopper for guiding straw or the like between saidmandrel and said belt.

2. Machinery for making archery target butts or the like, comprising afloating spool with detachable anges, a frame, a member on said framefor maintaining said spool in position, an endless belt turning aroundsaid spool, means for maintaining said belt under tension, means fordriving said belt, a belt tightener to accommodate said belt to changesin the size of the butt under fabrication on said spool, an idlerarranged upon said frame to cause said belt to encircle a major portionof the periphery of said butt, a second horizontally displaceable idleradapted to be maintained under said butt for supporting the same, andmeans for feeding straw or the like between said spool and said belt.

3. Machinery for coiling straw or the like, comprising a mandrel, twoguide plates, each detachably connected to one end of said mandrel, anendless belt arranged substantially to encircle the coil upon saidmandrel, means for maintaining said belt under tension, means fordriving said belt, means continuously accommodating said belt to thesize of said coil, an idler translatable under said coil for supportingthe same, and means for guiding straw or the like between said mandreland said belt.

4. Apparatus for forming fibrous material or the like into a compressedmat, comprising a mandrel, a guide plate on each end of said mandrel, aframe, a guide arm hinged upon said frame and extending between said'guide plates to minimize side thrust, a roller on the free end 40 ofsaid guide arm and adapted to bear against the wk on said mandrel, meansconnected to said guide arm whereby the load upon the work may beincreased, a belt tightener movably mounted upon said frame, an endlessbelt passing around said belt tightener and around said mandrel betweensaid guide plates, means connected to said belt tightener formaintaining tension upon said belt, means` for driving said belt, anidler fixed to said frame and causing said belt to substantiallyencircle the' work upon said mandrel, a second idler movably mountedupon said frame and adapted to support the work, means for continuouslymaintaining said second idler under the work, a table on said frame, anda hopper adjacent said table for feeding iiber or the like upon saidbelt adjacent the work.

5. Machinery for making archeryv target butts or the like, comprising aframe, a pair of substantially parallel brackets on said frame deningthe trajectory of the butt axis as the butt is built up, two plates,each rotatably supported by one of said brackets and slidable thereon,means on each of said plates for xing the same to the butt underconstruction, a driven endless belt passing between said plates andaround said butt, guide means for causing said belt substantially toencircle said butt, means for causing said belt to compress said butt,horizontally adjustable rotatable means for continuously supporting saidbutt as the same expands, and means for feeding brous material or thelike between the periphery of said buttv and said belt.

6. The method of making an archery target butt which comprises twistingfibrous strands into rope-like lengths, coiling said lengths spirallyabout a central support while maintaining the work under peripheralcompression, attening and smoothing the faces and rim of said butt whilethe same is being formed, sewing said butt while the same is undercompression, and remov ing said central support and replacing the samewith fibrous strands.

CHARLES A. SAUNDERS.

